Artificial minnow



Dec. 3, 1940. Y K. ANDERSSON 2,223,591

ARTIFICIAL MINNOW Filed March '22, 1940 ZW aw 10w ATTORNEYS. 1

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,223,591 Anrmcm MINNOW Karl Andersson, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 22, 1940, Serial No. 325,328

Claims. (Cl. 4347) This application relates to an improved artificial bait and has to do particularly with an artificial minnow which, when drawn through the water, will simulate the appearance of a minnow 5 and so operate as to lure the fish it is desired to catch.

One of the main objects of. my invention is to provide an artificial minnow of improved construction, and particularly an artificial minnow having a body part formed of a relatively thin piece of suitable material of a contour similar to the contour of the minnow in combination with fin-like members shaped to impart a rapid spinning movement and with oppositely and generally laterally directed flanges extending throughout the lengths of the opposite longitudinal edges of the body part to give the body part the appearance of thickness when viewed in an edgewise direction, said flanges being shaped to augment the spinning action so that the minnow will spin so fast that the fish it is desired tov catch cannot see the hooks as the device is drawn through the water.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an artificial minnow of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, and a device colored or otherwise finished to give the appearance of a live minnow; also with the coloring or finishing on opposite sides reversely disposed to maintain the same appearance as the opposite sides of the device alternately come into view in the spinning movement of the device and with the coloring or finishing on the opposite sides of the body part extending out over the longitudinal flanges and blended with the coloring at the opposite edges of the opposite sides of, thebody part to enhance the live appearance of the artificial minnow.

Another object of my invention is to provide transparent fin-like members so that none of the body part of the minnow will be concealed by these members from the fish it is desired to catch.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will, be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an artificial minnow embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan or edge view of the device;

Figure 3 is a view showing the opposite side of the device;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 4, showing the fin-like members formed of transparent material.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the artificial minnow selected for illustration comprises the main body part I 0 formed of a thin, flat piece of suitable material of an edge contour at i l and I2 similar to the contour of a living minnow. This body part It} has oppositely directed top and bottom flanges l3 and [4 which extend substan-. tially throughout the lengths of the edges H and I2, respectively, of the body part. The thin, flat character of the body part lpresults in a light? weight and relatively simple and inexpensive construction.

Further to simulate a living minnow and to impart a rapid spinning movement to the device I provide the body part ,I 0 with a pair of oppositely directed fin-like. members l5 and it which are located to .correspond with the location of the fins of a live minnow. These fin-like members 15 and I6 are set at reverse angles and are propeller-like as shown. As the artificial minnow is drawn through the water these propeller-like fins l5 and I6 impart a rapid spinning movement thereto. The flanges l3 and M arepreferably rounded away from the body part Ill in opposite directions and counter to the direction of spinning movement as shown by the arrowa in Figure 4 so as to augment the rapid spinning action imparted by the fins l5 and it. As a result, the propeller-like fins will spin the device so rapidly as it is drawn through the water that the fish it is desired to catch cannot see the hooks.

A hook, or plurality or gang of hooks, I8 is or are connected as, for example, by a ring or rings H! to the body part ID at the tail thereof. A hook, or gang or plurality of hooks, 20 is or are connected as, for example, by a ring and eye connection at 2| to the flange l3, and a hook, or gang or plurality of hooks, 22 is or are connected as, for example, by a ring and eye connection at 23- to the flange I4. A suitable swivel connection 24 is connected, for example, by a ring 25 to the head end of the body it for the purpose of attaching the line thereto.

The device is painted or otherwise finished to ive the appearance of a live minnow, with the painting or finishing on opposite sides reversely disposed as shown in Figures 1 and 3 to maintain the same appearance at each side as the opposite sides alternately come into view in the spinning movement of the device. In the particular device selected for illustration, the top of one side of the body of the device is painted dark at 28 and blended into the lighter bottom portion, andon the opposite side the bottom or the portion along the edge l2 (Figure 3) is painted darkrat 3H and blended into the lighter portion along the other edge I I to make the device closely resemble a living minnow. The dark coloring may be of bluish character blending into a lighter greenish shade, and then into the lighter portions at the opposite edges, or may be of any other suitable or preferred character to present the desired appearance. Red colored markings are shown at 32. The painting indicated at 28 and so preferably extends rearwardly over the portions 33 of the hooks I8 and their ringconnections at I9, and may extend onto the anchoring portions of any of the other hooks as desired. The eyes are painted on the. opposite sides of the body at 35 and 36 accuratelyto simulate the eyes of a minnow, and markings simulating the gills of a living minnow are indicated at 31 and 38. a

The dark coloring along the edge II of one on the opposite side of the body part I0 adjacent the edge I2 extends out over the inner or upper surface of the flange I4 as the device'is viewed in Figure 1, and the light coloring on said opposite side of the body part I0 adjacent the edge Il extends out over the outer or upper surface of the flange I3, again considering the device as it is viewed in Figures 1 and 4. As a result, the body part III, while of thin, flat form, is given the appearance of thickness when viewed in an edgewise direction and the colored flanges giving this appearance are colored to blend into the reversed coloring of the adjacent portions of the body part of the minnow.

The body part II) may be made'of flat sheet metal stock, such as tin, aluminum, or the like, and the fins I5 and I6 may be made of similar material soldered or otherwise suitably secured to the body part at 40. Each fin l5 and I6 at its. base, or at the end joined to the body part I0, is of a width substantially equal to the width of thebody part to impart a forceful propeller action rapidly to spin the device.

Alternatively, I propose to mold the body part In and the fins l5 and I6 in one integral piece of a thin, transparent, resinous material, such as that known on the market as Tenite, or of other suitable transparent material such as some other form of resinous material, or Celluloid or the like. With the fin-like members formed of transparent material as shown at I5 and IS in Figure 5, it will be apparent that none of the body part of the minnow will be concealed by these fin-like members from the fish it isdesired to catch, the fin-like members, by their transparent character, exposing the full body part to the fish regardless of the angle or position at which the fish approaches the artificial minnow.

The upper edge of one fin-like member I5 is shown as flanged at 42, and the opposite edge of the other fin-like member I6 is flanged at 43.

The coloring of the artificial minnow may be of a character to simulate any desired species of living minnow and the coloring on the hooks I8,

20, and 22 blends with the coloring on the adjacent portions of the body part, and preferably covers all portions of the hooks except the barbed outer ends thereof. j

I do not intend to be limited to the precise details shown or described.

I claim:

1. An artificial minnow having the body thereof formed of a relatively thin piece of material with its edges corresponding to the edge contour of a living minnow, oppositely and generally laterally directed longitudinal flanges extending substantially throughout the lengths of said edges, oppositely directed fin-like members located to correspond with the flns of a living minnow and set at reverse angles to impart a rapid spinning movement" to the minnow as it is drawn through the water, hook means connected to said body part at the tail thereof, and hook means connected to the oppositely directed longitudinal flanges of said body part, the opposite sides of the device being colored to give the appearance of a live minnow with the coloring reversely disposed and extending out over the innerand outer surfaces of said longitudinal flanges, said fin-like members being of transparent character so that the body part of the 'devicewill not be concealed by said fin-like members from the fish it is desired to catch.

2. An artificial ,minnow having the body part thereof formed of a relatively thin piece of material with its edges corresponding to the edge contourof aliving minnow, oppositely and gen erally laterally directed longitudinal flanges extending substantially throughout the length of said edges, oppositely directed fin-like members locatedfto correspond with the fins of a living minnow and set at reverse angles to impart a rapid spinning movement to the minnow as it is drawn through the water, and hook means connecte'dto said body part adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges thereof and adjacent the tail of said body part, the opposite sides of the device being colored to give the appearance of a live minnow with the coloring reversely disposed and extending out over the inner and outer surfacesof said longitudinal flanges, said fln-like members being of transparent character so that the body part of the device will not be concealed by said fin-like members from the fish it is desired to catch.

3. An artificial minnow comprising a relatively thin, 'flat body part shaped to correspond with the shape'of a living minnow, oppositely and laterally turned flanges one extending substantially throughout the length of each of the opposite longitudinal edges of said body part, oppositely directed fin-like members extending at generally right angles from the opposite sides of said body part, said fin-like members extending across the width of said body part to correspond generally with the fins of a living minnow and set at reverse angles, and hook means connected to said body part adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges thereof and adjacent the tail of said body part.

4. An artificial minnow comprising arelatively thin, flat body part shaped to correspond with the shape 'of a living minnow, oppositely andlaterally turned flanges one extending substantially throughout the length of each of the opposite longitudinal edges of said body part, oppopart being colored to give the appearance of a living minnow with the coloring reversely disposed and extending over the inner and outer surfaces of said longitudinal flanges and extending over the inner end of the hook means at the tail of said body part.

5. An artificial minnow having the body part formed of a relatively thin piece of material with its edges corresponding in general to the 10 edge contour of a living minnow, and oppositely directed fin-like members set at reverse angles and extending at generally right angles from the opposite sides of said body part, said fin-like members extending across the width of said body part to correspond generally with the fins of a living minnow and of transparent character so that the body part will not be concealed by said fin-like members from the fish it is desired to catch.

KARL ANDERSSON. 

